Proposed Walmart drone pad draws backlash in North Carolina

Residents opposing the Walmart delivery drone facility say they're worried about privacy and noise.

1 minute read

June 3, 2026, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


White drone holding red and white delivery box flying over green treetops.

A Wing delivery drone in Charlotte, North Carolina. | CLS Digital Arts / Shutterstock

A proposed drone launchpad is causing concern in Lincoln County, North Carolina, reports Rafael Suárez for Drone XL. 

The project is being proposed by Walmart, which wants to build a drone launchpad facility at its Denver, North Carolina store to provide autonomous delivery services.

While drone flight is governed by the Federal Aviation Administration, "The question is whether Walmart can build a small drone launch area in the parking lot of its Denver, North Carolina store, and that’s a land-use call that lands squarely on local government."

As Suárez explains, "This is the ground-level chokepoint that decides where drone delivery actually happens, and it’s controlled by the same body that approves strip malls and setbacks." Walmart is proposing to use drones built by Wing, which the company has been testing in nearby Charlotte.

Residents who oppose the project expressed concerns about privacy, noise and wildlife impacts.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 in DroneXL

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